Below is a non-fiction book titled Faith in our Freedom by author Angelique Papadelias. It follows the true stories of ten refugee families, one determined woman and their faith beyond imagination. The book has been released and is now available online on Amazon, Kobo and Apple ibooks. If you would like a printed copy, it is available as ‘print on demand’ through create space.

Here is the Front of the book cover – ‘Hand drawn’ by artist Daniel Stathis.

Book Blurb:

Faith in our Freedom is a heart wrenching account of journeys that start in Bhutan, Colombia, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kosovo and Senegal and eventually wind up in North America. This inspiring book illustrates the unbelievable circumstances that drive these courageous people to flee from their homes and the human spirit within them that propels them to find shelter and safety for their families. They struggle to earn a meager existence to survive and to dare hope for a secure and fulfilling future.

You will experience their journeys through their eyes and share in their love of family, their heartbreak, fear, loss, torture and their sheer determination to continue their search for a better life. I am certain that you will feel great compassion for all that they have endured and admiration for the courage and depth of faith that they have all demonstrated.

Interwoven with these stories is another – that of a very determined and compassionate woman who worked tirelessly to set up a refugee & immigration center and lobbied the authorities so that these families could re-settle in a new country and embrace their newly found freedom.

In today’s world, mass genocides and traumatic wars are still a disturbing reality for millions of people. Those who had faith, have probably given up hope as they witness members of their family, tribe or community being tortured and killed by rebels, militia men and even government forces in unthinkable acts of violence. May these stories spread the message of peace, love and compassion among members of our global community that have never experienced such difficult times first-hand and offer hope to the suppressed so that they too may find freedom one day.

Book Extract:

“All five soldiers were torturing me at once. They poured extremely salty water down my nose and ears. They placed a cloth over my mouth so that I was forced to swallow what they put in my mouth. They did that until I fainted.
They kept beating me until my body was completely covered in bruises and gashes and the thorns pierced the flesh under my toenails. The pain was excruciating and my body was black. They dragged me deeper into the jungle and left me there, thinking that I would die shortly afterwards. I couldn’t move any part of my body. As the night settled in, mosquitos and small insects began to feed on my open wounds. Nighttime is quite cool in the jungle while the daytime is quite warm. If it rains, the weather at night gets a lot colder.

By the morning, I had a terrible fever and I was moving in and out of consciousness. The insect bites were increasing. I laid there helpless and all I had was my faith in God and I held onto that the entire time I was there. It was a miracle that I was still alive. With every minute that passed, my wounds were becoming more infected and the paralysis was worsening.

On the third morning, my father finally found me after searching for me with some other men from our village. It was my father’s faith and instinct that convinced him that I was still alive out there, somewhere. I was in excruciating pain but the feeling that overcame me when my father found me was undeniably the deepest love that I have ever experienced towards him. It was a miracle that they found me. My father cried tears of sorrow and joy when he found his baby boy alive.”

(Story from Colombia)

The Wonderful volunteers below completed the translation of the book from English into French and Spanish.

Rocio Tamez

Adriana Hererra

Myrlene Metellus

Natalia Linares

Francois Luc Paradis

Mirta Rodriguez

David Mendes Da Silva

Prudence Assogba

Makraphone Phouttama

The book has been completed in English, French and Spanish and is also available on Amazon, Create Space Direct (Print on Demand), and most ebook sites globally.